[/indent]There's a lot of posturing going on, and almost all of the lack of player signings are out of anyone's control. It's almost like trying to control the weather. Good luck with that.

If an appealing move can be made, I really think Holland will try. There just not that much above the crap line this year.

That was a good read and I loved this part:

I don’t expect, or want, Kenny Holland saying a whole lot of truthful things to me. But let’s you and I be straight: he knows what he needs and so do we. That hasn’t changed in months. Sniper, scorer, a “power forward” who actually drives the net consistently and doesn’t rest on a couple of postseasons that are actually turning out to be miraculous exceptions (clear enough for you Mule?). And the Wings need one more quality, reliable defenseman. You don’t lose Rafalski, Lidstrom, Stuart over a two-year period and replace them with a tainted Dive and a rookie (no matter how good he’s going to be and he’s a Calder candidate).

You cannot say that anymore.... LA was an 8 seed last season and no one thought they'd make it anywhere... NJ was, what? a 6 seed? That was your Final this past season.... low seeded teams that no one would have ever predicted being there. We are a contender, plain and simple.

Well, I won some money predicting LA as the winner this season in one local Finnish betting agency. At least for me it was not a big surprise. Just a quick look at their roster shows that they can go very far this season as well. Same quick look at our roster shows 1st round exist at best.

Sweet. This dude was brought here for one reason, to punch people in the head - every other thing that he can do, other Wings can do better. I like that we have a head-puncher. The league has other, better head-punchers, but this one is ours. Better than nothing. Good work, Kenny!

Yes Holland, you're right. It's not like we have any kind of scoring problem and desperately need a top 6 forward, despite the fact that we scored an average of 1.8 goals per game during the playoffs AND our own coach said we lost due to weakness in scoring potential for our 2nd and 3rd lines. Sure Holland, all is fine.

And yeah, saying Smith and Quincey will replace Lidstrom and Stuart, respectively, is in it's own level of idiocy alone.

You really are a piece of work. As others here have noted, you've chosen to interpret Holland's words in the most negative manner possible. I really don't understand your motivations.

Sweet zombie jesus, I just don't get all of this angst over what Holland is saying in the media. His comments always strike me as the GM equivalent of a players "We just have to skate hard & put more pucks on net" cliched answer to a reporter's question. Just the typical hockey answer meant to not give too much away. While I can't guarantee that the message being sent behind the scenes in the organ-i-zation are vastly different from what Kenny's saying in public, I would still rather hear him talk like this to the media then take a "We're screwed! Close all the shops in the mall! Cancel the 3 ring circus! The sky is falling!" approach to sound bites about the roster. Yeah, if he did that, he would really attract the UFAs then wouldn't he?

Edit: I'm sure that would endear him to the players currently on the roster too.

(1) It's wise not to overspend. Whatever the cap turns out to be this year, the Wings shouldn't spend just to spend. Don't plug holes. Since the big UFA's didn't sign in Detroit, look to next year's free agents.

(2) Go with a youth movement now (and finally). Give the youngsters in the organization a chance. Additionally, no one knows if the big UFA's next year will sign in Detroit or elsewhere. Best to rely on known quantities.

(3) The Wings should consider trading away aging vets with value and possibly stars for quality prospects and decent draft picks. I don't know how many of you were fans of the Wings during the Bryan Murray era, but it was a fun time. Lots of new young players, lots of optimism and hope. Yes, it took Bowman to solidify the team and the Shanahan trade to put the Wings over the top, but the possibilities and hope of the young team was exciting to watch. The long term benefits also reaped much post-season rewards.

Sweet zombie jesus, I just don't get all of this angst over what Holland is saying in the media. His comments always strike me as the GM equivalent of a players "We just have to skate hard & put more pucks on net" cliched answer to a reporter's question. Just the typical hockey answer meant to not give too much away

Okay, so let's sort this out - Weber is around $7.5 million averaged salary, so compensation would be two 1st's, a 2nd, and a 3rd rounder. I believe the Wings still have those 2013 picks, correct? The Wings offer some massive deal, say, 12 years/$105 million ($8.75 million cap hit) and front-load the crap out of it. If NAS could match that, wouldn't they already have offered it? Do we really care about losing those picks if the payoff is SHEA WEBER?

And if Nashville did somehow match, we've really lost nothing except for the assumption that Weber might have signed with us next season anyway, instead of the 28 other teams. I think it would be pretty arrogant of Holland to just assume that Detroit is automatic destination that can lure anyone away from PIT, PHI, or any other decent up-and-coming team with cap room.

What you aren't factoring in is that Webber likely won't sign such an offer sheet, he has a different variable than the Wings do. His "risk" is that the Preds actually do match the offer and then he is stuck with them for 12 years. If he really wants out of Nashville why would he risk the Preds matching, if they do he is bound by the contract for the next 12 years. His other option is to sign a 1 year deal with Nashville and then get to go wherever he wants with no risk that he is stuck with a lifetime deal with the Preds. A better option if you are going to do that is to offer him an outrageous 1 year deal one so high it screws the Preds if he signs and they match it, if they don't we have him for a year and get the exclusive rights to negotiate a long term deal, either way he is done with the Preds either immediately or at the end of the season. The only major downside (and probably much to rich to make it a good decision) is all the draft picks lost.

Everyone needs to calm down, its July 12th, still months from October and the start of hockey season, there is still a lot of time. This team does have needs, but honestly, what can he say? 'The wings need to make huge trade/get a FA at any cost'... If he says that well any cost will be higher than it would have been otherwise, and that says a lot because its already a sellers market. Calm down, enjoy the warm, dry weather in Michigan, and realize that until the season starts Kenny does have time.

Disappointing to say the least. Here's some highlights from a couple morning articles. Don't expect any new Red Wings anytime soon folks!. . .Yes Holland, you're right. It's not like we have any kind of scoring problem and desperately need a top 6 forward, despite the fact that we scored an average of 1.8 goals per game during the playoffs AND our own coach said we lost due to weakness in scoring potential for our 2nd and 3rd lines. Sure Holland, all is fine.

And yeah, saying Smith and Quincey will replace Lidstrom and Stuart, respectively, is in it's own level of idiocy alone.Enjoy your summer folks.

Did you believe this guy too?

http://youtu.be/TrXhxmQJSS0

It's called posturing.

"Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience." - Mark Twain

Took me a bit to find it but all of this talk immediately conjured up this Harrison Ford quote from Six Days Seven Nights with regards to Holland:

Robin Monroe: Ever since we've been here you've been so confident.Quinn Harris: Well I'm the captain. That's my job. It's no good for me to go waving my arms in the air and screaming "Oh s***, we're gonna die!" That doesn't invoke much confidence, does it?

I feel like a lot of people are underestimating the impact Smith will have. The kid is a pure stud and will prove why he's one of the most talked about rookies in Detroit's system. I have a feeling Smith will make Holland look like a genius for not blowing up the team for a 1 year run.

Edit:

Wasn't it Babcock that made the comment "Smith is the type of player you build a team around"?